Improvement in combined abdominal supporters and corsets



UNITED STATES S. A. MOODY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED ABDOMINAL SUPPORTERS AND CORSET S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,591, dated May 3, 1864.

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Mrs. S. A. MOODY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Combination of an Abdominal Supporter with Stays or Corsets and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

a portion of the external part of the invention removed in order to expose an internal part.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention consists in constructing stays or corsets in such a manner that they will, when applied to the wearer, be made to an swer, besides their legitimate purpose, that of an abdominal supporter and a truss, and be capable of being applied so that they may be worn with great ease and comfort, and by females even when in a state of pregnancy, and also be capaple of being adjusted and applied so that a requisite pressure may in all cases be exerted upon or against the abdomen of the wearer.

The invention may be worn by males as well as females.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a pair of stays or corsets open at the front and back and connected at the back by a lacing, a, and in front by hooks and eyes or perforated plates and. knobs. Any proper fastening which will admit of a ready connection of the front may be used. In the front part of the stays or corsets there are inserted two flat elastic plates, b b, of metal, whalebone, wood, or other suitable material, a plate being at each side of the fastenings at the front. The front part of the stays or corsets extends down considerably lower than the ordinary ones in use, and reaches the lower part of the abdomen, the plates 1) b, of course, extending down the whole length of the stays. From this description it will be seen that when the stays are properly laced up on the wearer the plates b will have a tendency to press inward and upward against the abdomen and serve as an abdominal supporter, the plates I) b, owing to their elasticity, yielding under the tension of the stays, so as to press snugly against the abdomen and still being sufli ciently rigid to retain or hold up the latter. The stays at each side are also divided and connected by lacings c to admit in case of pregnancy of the stays being let out from time to time as circumstances may require. Lacin gs d over the hips are employed.

In order to render this invention efficient in all cases, I employ a bag, B, of india-rubber or other suitable material, which is connected by hooks, lacings, or any suitable fastenings to the inner side of the lower part of the stays in front of the abdomen. This bag B is inflated by means of a flexible tube, 0, provided with a faucet mouth-piece. There are many persons whose abdomens have very little prominence, and which render the use of this bag necessary in order that the requisite pressure may be exerted against the abdomen. The bag may be inflated more or less, as circumstances may require, and made of different forms or shapes to suit the wearer.

This invention has been practically tested, and it can be worn with great ease and comfort. There are no parts which chafe the wearer, a general elasticity pervading the whole fabric.

The invention will prove efficient in cases of hernia, prolapsus uteri, &c.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A pair of stays or corsets, A, provided with an extended front, or one projecting down to the lower part of the abdomen, and having elastic plates b 11 inserted or fitted in it, in connection with the side lacings, c, and airbag B, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

S. A. MOODY.

Witnesses:

JAMES P. HALL, M. M. LIVINGSTON. 

